Tournament is Fair Play
by Parsec
Summary: The girls enter a World Superheroes Tournament.  However, one of the other competitors, a quiet loner, grabs their attention...  (This story includes the Justice Friends!)
1. Part 1

TOURNAMENT IS FAIR PLAY **__**

TOURNAMENT IS FAIR PLAY

By: Mark J. Hadley

The city of Townsville…is _not_ featured in this tale. Instead, our story begins many miles away, at the world-renowned Hero's Arena building, where millions of people have gathered to watch the twenty-third annual World Superheroes Tournament. Once a year, superheroes gather from across the world to this single location, to compete and see who is the strongest of them all. Old favorites, like the famous Justice Friends, always make an appearance, but there are always many new faces to show up as well.

This year's tournament is particularly special, as for the first time, the PowerPuff Girls will be entering, setting a new record for the youngest superheroes to fight in the World Superheroes Tournament. As the Utonium family car pulled up to the Hero's Arena, they couldn't be more excited.

"All right! I can't wait!" Buttercup exclaimed, looking out of the car window at the huge arena building. "Just think…in a few hours, we'll be fighting against some of the best heroes on Earth! Man, this'll be great!"

Blossom nodded, "I'm just eager to see how our own powers stand up against theirs. So far, all we've fought are villains. It'll be a nice change of pace, whether we win or lose."

"Yeah, whatever, Red," Buttercup said, waving it off. "All I know is, that championship is _mine_! Right, Bubbles?"

"I think you could win," Bubbles agreed, "but one of us could win, too."

Professor Utonium pulled the car into the parking lot, and said, "Now, girls, I'm sure you'll _all_ do just fine in the tournament. But remember, winning isn't everything; it's how you play the game that counts."

They all got out of the car, and headed into the building. Inside, a large group of heroes were lined up at the registration booth. People of all shapes, sizes, and costume designs were signing up at the desk, and receiving their number for the tournament. Most of them the girls had never seen before, but they spotted one or two familiar faces. "Hey," Blossom remarked, "isn't that the Crimson Raven? The guy in the red over there?"

"You mean the one from Citiesville?" Bubbles said. "I thought they put him in jail for illegal use of superpowers…"

"He's on parole right now," Blossom pointed out.

"Ohh, that's right," Bubbles nodded. "Poor guy."

As they waited in line, someone behind them asked, "Excuse me, miss…but this is the line for registration, right?" Turning around, they saw a tall superhero, dressed in vivid red, white, and blue colors. His cape bore the design of the American flag, and a gold mask adorned with wings covered the top half of his face.

"Major Glory!" Blossom exclaimed. "Wow, it's an honor to meet you, sir!"

Flashing a smile, he replied, "Of course it is. So…what brings you little tykes to this tournament? Ready to watch some of your favorite heroes do battle?"

"Nah," Buttercup answered. "We're gonna be _in_ the fight."

"_You_ three?" Major Glory laughed. "You're joking, right? This is too dangerous for little kids to participate in…"

Buttercup frowned angrily, "Whaddaya mean? We're not 'little kids', we're the PowerPuff Girls!"

Major Glory's expression suddenly changed, "Stars and stripes! Not _the_ PowerPuff girls?"

"That's us!" Bubbles smiled.

"Well! It seems I owe you three an apology," he said, smiling. "I've heard good things about you. Perhaps one day, when you grow up, you'll become world-famous defenders of good ol' American justice…like me!"

"Thanks," Blossom said, "We'll do our best!"

Buttercup just continued to frown as they waited in line, and thought, _I hope I get to fight this guy in the tournament. It'll be fun wiping that smile off his face…_

* * *

The girls waited with the other heroes in a large staging area, just outside of the main fighting ring. They could see out into the ring from there, and noticed that the stands were already beginning to fill up with people. They spotted Professor Utonium off to one side and waved…he smiled, and waved back.

"How long before it starts?" Bubbles asked.

"Not long," Blossom said. "They're setting up the chart right now. I wonder who I'm going to be fighting first…" She glanced around at the others in the room. A lot of them really looked like easy pickings, but some of them could prove to be a challenge. In one corner, she noticed another familiar face and, trying to suppress a snicker, she pointed him out, "Hey, look who's here…"

The girls looked to where she was pointing. "Hey, is that…" Buttercup began.

"Yep…Major Mann," Blossom replied. "What's _he_ doing here?"

"Probably looking for a fast path to fame and glory again," Buttercup said. She smiled, and added, "I give him one fight before he goes down. Two, if he gets some pushover."

Bubbles giggled, "Yeah! Like a stuffed doll, maybe!" All three of them laughed at the joke. They resumed looking around at the people that were still showing up. A moment later, something small and glowing bright white flew into the room and landed. The glow faded out, revealing…

"Monkey!" the girls said together. They could hardly believe their eyes. One of the most powerful superheroes in the world was standing _right there_, a mere ten feet from them. His bluish-black outfit was adorned with the golden 'M' symbol in his forehead, confirming that he was indeed Monkey.

Buttercup nudged Blossom, "Hey, why don't you go say something to him?"

"Me? Like what?" Blossom asked.

"I don't know. _Anything_."

Blossom thought about it, but while she did, Bubbles walked right over. Monkey looked at her, and said, "Eek, oo eeek?"

Blossom smiled, and said, "Eee, eek eek ook, ah ah ooh eek!"

Monkey tossed off a little salute, then glanced behind her, at the other girls. He pointed at them and asked, "Ooh eee?"

"Aah eek ahwaa," Bubbles replied. "Eek ah ahhoh Eekahwaa…eek ah ah eek ahhoh Ohaawoo." She smiled and added, "Aaah ah ah oooo eeka ah!" Both she and Monkey started laughing, while Blossom and Buttercup just glanced at each other, confused.

Bubbles waved goodbye to Monkey, and flew back. When she got back, Buttercup asked, "What was _that_ all about? What was so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing…" Bubbles said, still trying to suppress a snicker.

Before Buttercup could say anything else, they heard cheering outside in the arena. A large screen on one side of the arena had come on, showing the face of the Earth Forces Commander. He spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen…on behalf of everyone here, I'd like to welcome you to the twenty-third annual World Superheroes Tournament!"

The crowd cheered some more; he waited until it died down before continuing. "We have sixty-four entrants in this year's competition, which will be conducted as a standard elimination tournament. Five rounds of combat will be fought between the competitors, narrowing their numbers down until finally, only two remain for the sixth and final round. The winner of that fight will be declared this year's Grand Champion. Now, without further ado, let the tournament _begin_!"

The crowd roared, and the heroes in the staging area also applauded. The Commander's face disappeared from the screen, and it was replaced by the chart, showing the progression of the tournament and the initial pairing of each of the competitors. The chart appeared on similar, smaller monitors in the staging area, and the superheroes all gathered around to see who they were fighting first.

Buttercup spotted her name on the list, and said, "I'm fighting some guy named the Human Worm. Sounds easy enough…"

"Hey," Blossom said, "I'll be fighting the Crimson Raven first! What about you, Bubbles?"

After a moment, they located Bubbles' name. "Water Boy?" Bubbles said. "Okay… "

As they looked on, a small boy suddenly pushed his way past them, to get a better look at the list. He had red hair, and was wearing a black outfit and mask, with a belt that was adorned with a golden 'D'. In a thickly accented voice, he said, "Ah, yes! My first opponent will be Captain Slug! Shouldn't take more than a minute to beat him…"

Blossom tapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Hey, I didn't expect to see any _other_ children here…I mean, we're still the youngest, but…"

He glanced at her nonchalantly, and said, " For your information, I am no mere child…I am Dextarr, Boy of Wonder!"

Bubbles said, "Nice to meet you, Dextarr…we're the PowerPuff G—"

"Fine, fine," he interrupted. "It makes no difference, as _I_ will be winning the tournament this year." He turned and walked back into the crowd.

Buttercup scowled, "Man, what a jerk! Is _everyone_ here full of themselves?"

"Don't let it get to you, Buttercup," Blossom said. "_We'll_ show them what we're made of out there…"

As they talked, Bubbles glanced back over to the monitor. One particular person out of the crowd caught her eye…a short man, dressed in black, almost like a ninja…except, on his head was a large glass bubble, showing off an exposed brain. He ran a finger down the names on the monitor, stopping at the name, "Brainstem", then turned and disappeared into the crowd. Bubbles shrugged, and went back to what she was doing, waiting for the fighting to begin…

* * *

The fighting began. Each pair of competitors stepped out into the ring, one group at a time, and did battle with each other. The rules were simple: you lost if you were knocked out, you fell out of the ring, or you gave up.

The very first round of combat proceeded rather quickly. Most of the more powerful heroes were able to defeat the lesser ones in seconds. This really helped to weed out the dregs from the group, although there were still a number of them left. Blossom herself had no difficulties whatsoever with the Crimson Raven, sending him out of the ring with one good kick. Bubbles was soaked by Water Boy…other than that, he didn't do a _thing_ to her, and she was able to easily pick him up and toss him out. Human Worm tried to burrow underground to sneak up on Buttercup, but she spotted him, and knocked him out with a simple slap to the back of the head.

As they gathered back together in the staging area, Buttercup said, "That was easy. I hope they get tougher than this."

"They will," Blossom reminded her. "All of the Justice Friends made it to the next battle; at this rate, we'll probably have to fight some of them."

Buttercup kicked a loose pebble on the ground, "Not yet, though…my next fight's gonna be against someone called CyberCat. He just _barely_ won _his_ fight against Easily-Defeated Man…"

Outside in the ring, two fighters were just leaving the ring, and the Commander appeared on the screen announcing the final two fighters of the first round, "Brainstem vs. SuperParrot." The black-dressed Brainstem stepped calmly out into the fighting ring, while the brightly-outfitted, 8-inch-tall SuperParrot flapped over, landing on the ground in the ring across from him.

The Commander signaled the start of the fight. SuperParrot flew into the air, diving at Brainstem's head, but he leapt to one side, drawing a weapon from his backpack. It launched a sticky substance out, which gummed up the parrot's wing's, causing him to plummet to the ground. The parrot quickly squawked, "I give up! I give up!"

Brainstem put the weapon back into his backpack, and turned back to the audience, bowing with a flourish. The crowed cheered him on. From the staging area, Blossom remarked, "Hey, he's pretty good!"

"Nah, he was probably just fighting some pushover," Buttercup said.

"I don't think so," Blossom said. "I've heard of SuperParrot before; he's a big crimefighter down in Florida. Brainstem, though, I've never heard of him…he's a newcomer. He must be pretty good, though, to beat an established hero _that_ easily."

"All I know is, there's only thirty-two people left, now." Buttercup smiled confidently. "And, in five more fights, you'll be talkin' to the new Grand Champion!"

"We'll see," Blossom said.

* * *

The second round of combat went almost as quickly as the first. Some of the fights lasted a few minutes, but most of them were over in about ten seconds or so. The most interesting fight was between the Infraggable Krunk and the Unmovable Block. Krunk pounded on him repeatedly, but Block was attached firmly to the ground, and didn't give. Eventually, Krunk just ripped up the ground he was clinging to, and threw him not only out of the ring, but also completely out of the stadium. The crowd applauded this, particularly the other members of the Justice Friends.

All three of the PowerPuff Girls won their fights, and they noticed that so did Dextarr…and Brainstem. Now that the number of competitors was reduced to a mere sixteen, the remaining heroes were getting more anxious to start the _real_ fighting.

The Commander appeared on the screens, and said, "Round three will begin shortly, after a brief rest period. The pairings for the upcoming round will be: Infraggable Krunk vs. Living Bullet…Tiki Torch vs. Blossom…Agent Honeydew vs. Val Halen…Dextarr vs. Brainstem…Buttercup vs. Capital-G…Monkey vs. Sam-Are-I…White Tiger vs. Bubbles…and finally, Major Glory vs. Major Mann…"

Blossom rolled her eyes, "Sheesh…I can't believe Major Mann made it this far. Talk about luck!"

"Well, they _were_ kinda easy so far," Bubbles reminded her.

While Blossom and Bubbles talked, Capital-G approached Buttercup and said, "Hey, I watched you fight, Buttercup, and lemme tell you somethin'…you've really got some _moves_. I'm lookin' forward to _our_ fight next round."

"Me too," Buttercup said, grinning, "Finally, some _good_ fights! _This_ is what I came here for!"

As all the conversations between the heroes continued, off to one side, Brainstem stood silently. He spoke not a single word, but gazed across the room at everyone, his eyes shifting from person to person in quiet contemplation…

* * *

"Infraggable Krunk…vs…Living Bullet!"

The crowd roared as Krunk stepped into the ring. He waved to the audience as he took his position. Living Bullet shot into the arena, landing instantly on his own starting spot. The Commander, who had introduced them from the screen, looked to make sure both of them were ready, and said, "Fight!"

Krunk immediately hunkered down, and yelled, "Krunk smash!" He charged across the ring towards Living Bullet, who immediately dodged to one side, too fast for Krunk to catch. Instead, he had to dig his hands into the ground to stop himself before accidentally charging clear out of the ring. Spotting an opportunity, Living Bullet immediately charged him from behind, striking him in the back. Unfortunately, all he did was rebound off of his tough purple hide.

Krunk, still with his hands in the ground, ripped up a large chunk of rock, and hurled it at Living Bullet…he was struck, and knocked down from the air, but was able to shoot away from underneath the rock before it smashed him against the ground. He immediately charged Krunk, heading for his head, but Krunk reached out, grabbing him right out of the air. Living Bullet smiled sheepishly, and Krunk brought his free fist down "gently" on his helmet, knocking him cold. He dropped Living Bullet to the ground, and clasped his hands above his head in victory, as the crowd cheered him on.

* * *

"Tiki Torch...vs...Blossom!"

On cue, Blossom flew out onto the ring. As she landed, she heard the professor call out from the audience, "You can do it, sweetie!" She smiled and waved, then turned to focus on the coming fight. A few moments later, the tiki-headed Tiki Torch flew over and landed on the other side of the ring in a burst of flame.

The Commander nodded and said, "All right then...Fight!" Blossom hovered up into the air, and waited to see what her opponent was going to do. Tiki Torch grinned and said, "Let's heat things up a bit! Torch on!" He suddenly ignited, surrounded by fire, and flew towards Blossom, swinging a flame-covered fist at her...Blossom responded by ducking under the punch, and giving him a kick square in the chest. Tiki flew backwards, but managed to land on his feet.

By this time, Blossom gained some height, and attacked with her eyebeams. Tiki was hit head on, but wasn't hurt by it. He laughed, and said, "The heat from your beams will only make me stronger!" He absorbed the heat from the blast, and immediately held his hands out, creating a giant fireball between them, "Then, I can channel it, and sent it right back!" He wound up, and threw the fireball directly at Blossom...she tried to dodge, but it struck her anyway. She fell to the ground, landing a few feet short of the edge of the ring.

As Blossom struggled back to her feet, wiping the ash from her face, Tiki surrounded himself with flame once again, and leapt at her, fists out, prepared to try and knock her out of the ring. Blossom quickly took a deep breath, and blew a blast of her ice breath at him, freezing him solid. Tiki blinked a few times from inside the block of ice...before he could do anything, Blossom casually nudged him, and the ice slid across the ring, right off the edge.

The crowd cheered, and Blossom waved to them. _This is great!_ she thought. _I can't wait to see how well I do on the next fight_...

* * *

"Agent Honeydew...vs...Val Halen!"

The slender Earth Forces Agent stood on one end of the ring, weapon at the ready. On the other end, Val Halen, the Viking God of Rock, took his place...above him, dark storm clouds were rolling in, lightning crossing the skies. They waited, as the Commander made sure they were all set...finally, he gave the order, "Fight!"

Honeydew armed her laser pistol, and aimed it at Val Halen, who rose his guitar and said, "Be prepared, oh bodacious babe, to face the awesome force of my mighty axe!" With that, he began playing, and his guitar glowed brightly with energy. Honeydew crouched, preparing to leap...Val Halen lowered the neck of the guitar, and a bright white beam of energy lanced out at her.

She bounded quickly to one side, rolling back up to one knee and firing several shots from her laser at him. "If I can just hit that guitar of his," she said to herself, "I can take away the source of his power!" The shots came close, but Val Halen quickly jumped up over the blasts, hopping onto his guitar and riding it like a surfboard. He flew across the ring quickly, and rammed into Honeydew, knocking her backwards...she reached the edge of the ring, and tottered precariously, then fell off.

Val Halen lifted his mighty axe into the air in victory, as the crowd chanted, "Val Halen! Val Halen! Val Halen!"

* * *

"Dextarr...vs...Brainstem!"

The two competitors faced off against each other in the ring. Dextarr watched Brainstem coldly, and said, "I have seen how you fight...so, this will be a battle of genius versus genius then. May the best genius win...me!"

Brainstem remained silent, not answering him back. The Commander said, "Ready? Fight!"

Immediately, Dextarr pulled the 'D' emblem off of his belt, and hurled it quickly towards his opponent. Brainstem, however, brought his arm around, which had a device mounted on it...punching the button on the device, a small curved shield made of energy sprang up, and the 'D' rebounded harmlessly off of it. Brainstem immediately lowered the shield and raised his other arm, firing laser blasts from an arm-mounted weapon.

Dextarr jumped up high, clicking a button on his watch. From a small pack on his back, a large robotic suit unfolded out. The suit landed on the ground with a *THUD*, going into a battle pose. Brainstem responded by charging forward, still firing with his arm-mounted blaster. Dextarr held the arms of the robot out in front of him, reflecting the blasts away from him. As he did this, though, he was unable to see Brainstem, since the robot's arms were in the way. Brainstem slid underneath the robot, ending up behind him, and fired backwards, striking it dead center in the back.

The suit sparked from the hit and malfunctioned. Dextarr unhooked himself from it, and dropped free, but Brainstem was already around on the other side. He had another weapon in his hand, and opened fire with it, creating a barrage of soundwaves that slowly pushed Dextarr back...he struggled to move against it, but eventually, it picked him up off the ground, knocking him out of the ring. He bounced a few times, then skid across the dirt to a halt.

Brainstem put his weapons away, and bowed to the crowd once again, which cheered him. Dextarr picked himself up from the dirt and groaned, "Ugh...stupid Brainstem..."

* * *

"Buttercup...vs...Capital-G!"

Buttercup flew out as fast as she could, taking her position in the ring, "Yes! I'm ready for some _action_!" Capital-G leapt out onto his own position in the ring. He gave an OK sign to the Commander, who nodded, and shouted, "Fight!"

Buttercup wasted _no_ time in charging Capital-G as fast as she could. G, though, swung a punch early, catching Buttercup in the jaw. It was enough to knock her off-course, but not enough to do any damage. She swooped around, and prepared to attack again, but by now, Capital-G had already begun to change size. He grew a hundred feet tall, and exclaimed, "Get ready...'cause now, Capital-G is large, and in charge!"

Buttercup stopped her advance, and looked up. Capital-G immediately brought a foot down on her with a *SMASH*. Lifting his foot back up, he saw that he had driven Buttercup into the ring floor...she looked at first like she had been knocked out, but then her eyes flew open, and she flew up, giving his ankle a good strong kick. G tottered, but didn't fall, much to the relief of the audience that he might have landed on. He immediately said, "Nice try, little lady, but now you've got bigger problems!"

Buttercup just grinned back, flying up, and said, "The bigger they are, the easier it is to hit 'em!" With that, she began throwing punches and kicks at his chest. In his large form, it wasn't enough to really hurt him, but it forced him back a step...and because he was so tall, that one step put his foot right out of the ring.

G glanced down and noticed this...he hung his head, "Aw, dang." The crowd roared happily at Buttercup's victory. She did a little victory dance in the air, to the crowd's amusement. _Oh yeah,_ she thought, _they love me._

* * *

"Monkey...vs...Sam-Are-I"

The crowd really went wild as Monkey flew out onto the field. He had been last year's winner of the tournament...plus, he was a crowd favorite. The blue-armored Sam-Ar-I got into a battle position at the other end of the ring, raising his gleaming metal sword. The crowd slowly began to chant, "Mon--key! Mon--key! Mon--key!"

Seeing that everything was set, the Commander said, "Ready...fight!"

Unfortunately for Sam-Are-I, the fight was over in barely a few seconds. Monkey crossed the ring in less than an instant, grabbing him by the arm and flinging him directly off the edge. He landed back in the center of the ring, and clapped his hands over his head, giving a victory cry, "Aaa ooo! Aaa ooo!" The crowd cheered him on...

* * *

"White Tiger...vs...Bubbles!"

Bubbles carefully took her position in the ring. She glanced over at Professor Utonium in the stands, who gave her a confident thumbs-up. Turning back to the ring, she watched as the savage White Tiger leapt into his own position and crouched, ready to pounce. Bubbles smiled and waved, shouting, "Good luck!"

The Commander nodded, "Good luck to you both. Ready? Fight!"

Bubbles was just about to start flying, when White Tiger jumped forward with amazing speed. She was instantly pinned to the ground by him. Bubbles cried out in surprise when it happened, but then fired her eyebeams, knocking him off of her. She hovered up off the ground, and held her fists out, ready for battle once again. They slowly circled each other, and Bubbles said, "Here, kitty kitty..."

White Tiger pounced forward again, and started swinging slashes with his claws. Bubbles nimbly dodge left and right, avoiding the attacks, but the onslaught was still forcing her back slowly, towards the edge of the ring. She noticed this, and quickly caught White Tiger's paw on his next swing. With her other hand, she gave him a good punch to the jaw. He was knocked across the ring, sliding towards the opposite edge, but he dug his claws in the ground, slowing himself and leaving long claw marks in the ring floor. He stopped only a foot from the edge of the ring.

Bubbles quickly took a deep breath, and unleashed a loud scream, so forceful that the soundwaves pushed White Tiger back just far enough that he toppled off the edge. She panted, and smiled, waving to the audience, which now cheered. She thought, _That was close! I can still win this, though, if I keep going..._

* * *

"Major Glory...vs...Major Mann!"

The two of them stood across from each other, standing tall and proud, and giving each other a strong glare. The Commander obviously saw that they were ready, so he said, "Fight!"

Major Glory was somewhat shocked, "By Washington's Wig...this superhero is even more handsome and photogenic than even I! How can this be?"

Major Mann rose an eyebrow and said, "You'll have to face the music, flag boy! The crowd loves me more than you! Why don't you just give up?" He struck a pose and flashed a smile, the sunlight glinting off of his teeth.

"Now, listen here, Major Mann," Glory said, narrowing his eyes and shaking a fist out in front of him. "You think you've won the hearts of the people? Let me tell you a little something about the difference between you and I. You may be more of a pretty-boy, you may have the brightest smile on the planet, you may even have a higher price for your autograph, but let me tell you one thing that you _don't_ have, mister!" He brought his hand back, placing it over his heart, "The great American spirit! Or," he added hastily, "a long-term endorsement contract. And it is because of _this_ that--"

A voice that sounded like Buttercup called out from the staging area, "Start fighting, already!"

Major Glory shrugged, "Well...give the people what they want, I always say!"

"Now wait a--" Major Mann began, but Major Glory had already flown across the ring and, with a single uppercut to the jaw, knocked him right out. He adjusted his glove, and said, "Now, let me show you how it's _done_..." He struck a superheroic pose, with a salute, and his cape flapping in the wind behind him. The crowd cheered, as hundreds of cameras flashed, taking his picture. He sighed, "Ahh, my fans..."

* * *

As the third round came to a close, the remaining competitors received a brief rest period, to gather their strength before the next set of fights. The girls had gathered back together, and they were overjoyed. "I can't believe we made it this far!" Bubbles exclaimed.

"That was cool!" Blossom agreed. "I can't _wait_ until the next round...we're really showing our stuff today, aren't we?"

Buttercup nodded, "You bet! We're the best out there!"

"I dunno," Blossom said, "Monkey's gonna be a tough fight if one of us gets him..."

Nearby, Brainstem was leaning up against the wall, by himself. Bubbles looked concerned, and hovered over to where he was. She said, "Hey, Brainstem? You did really well out there..." Brainstem glanced at her, then stared away. She continued, "You're so quiet, though...if you're looking for a friend, you know, I--"

Brainstem suddenly whispered, softly, "No. I will _not_ have you as a friend." He turned and walked away, to the other side of the room. Blossom watched him go, sadly, and wondered what could be wrong...she decided not to ask, but rather, returned to where the other girls were. Round 4 was about ready to begin, and she wanted to get ready...

**__**

END OF PART 1


	2. Part 2

PART 2 **__**

PART 2

The Earth Forces Commander appeared on the giant screen in the arena, and he announced, "Ladies and gentlemen…round four of the World Superheroes Tournament will begin shortly, but first, please allow me to introduce the remaining eight competitors…" The crowd cheered, as the heroes stepped out from the staging area, lining up along the edge of the fighting ring.

"We have quite a group this year," the Commander continued. "Four old favorites, and four newcomers. On one hand, we have the original founders of the Justice Friends, and one of the most well-known superhero of our time. On the other, we have the youngest trio of superheroes to _ever_ enter the competition, and a _completely_ new face, all four of which have impressed us so far with skill on the same level as the others. I congratulate you all on your progress, and wish you the best of luck in the coming fights."

The crowd cheered once more, and all the competitors waved, except for Brainstem, who merely nodded. The commander concluded his speech, "All right…let the fighting begin!"

* * *

The crowd waited, as the ring was prepared for the first fight of round four. The Commander announced, "First up, we have the leader of the Justice Friends…the well-known defender of American freedom and justice himself…please welcome, Major Glory!" The crowd cheered and flashed pictures, as Major Glory flew out into the ring. He struck a pose, hands on his hips, and flashed his smile to the audience.

"And his opponent…" the Commander continued. "She may only be in kindergarten, but don't let that fool you…she's got strength, and spunk, and a budding intellect to boot…please welcome the leader of the PowerPuff Girls…Blossom!" She flew out of the staging area, and waved to everyone. Behind her, Bubbles and Buttercup cheered on with the rest of the crowd, "Go, Blossom!"

She landed in the ring, and turned to face Major Glory. Her mind raced…_This is going to be tough. Major Glory has the benefit of years of crimefighting experience…I'm going to have to stay alert, if I want to beat him._ She took a deep breath, and set her expression, focusing on the coming fight. Major Glory, in the meantime, cracked his knuckles and got into his own battle stance, which immediately brought another shower of flash photography from the crowd. They tensely awaited the start of the fight.

In the staging area, Buttercup and Bubbles watched anxiously. Bubbles asked, "Do you think she'll win?"

"She'll win," Buttercup said confidently. "This guy's all show and no fight, I can tell."

It remained quiet out in the ring, as the two stared each other down. The crowd was also silent. The Commander gazed across the arena, and finally said, "Ready…fight!"

Both of them immediately burst into action. They flew directly at each other, each swinging their fist into a massive punch. Their fists collided with each other forcefully, so strong that a shockwave seemed to shake the arena. Major Glory immediately followed it with two more punches…Blossom dodged the first one, and grabbed his arm, stopping the second one. She rolled backwards, swinging him into an overhead throw behind her. He tumbled through the air for a moment, but regained control.

"By the dawn's early light," Major Glory remarked, "you're a strong little thing, aren't you?"

Blossom nodded, "That's right!" A moment later, she thought to herself, _I could tell he was pretty strong, too, from that first punch. I'd better not let my guard down, or I could be in trouble_. She took off towards him again, raising her fist back in preparation for another strong punch. Major Glory, though, charged forward suddenly with his elbow, slamming into her jaw before she could attack. The blow caused her to reel backwards, and he instantly followed it with two more punches, and a strong uppercut, which knocked her into the air. She hit the ground and skidded for a few yards, coming to rest near the center of the ring.

Bubbles, from the staging area, cringed, "She's losing!"

"No, she's not," Buttercup said, with a knowing smile, "She's had worse than _that_. Just watch…"

Sure enough, Blossom picked herself up from the ground. She coughed once from the dust that was kicked up, then looked over at Major Glory. A small smile appeared on her face. She climbed back to her feet, and beckoned, "Come and get me!"

Major Glory accepted her challenge, and charged forward, calling out, "E Pluribus Unum!" like a battle cry. Blossom just stood there, waiting for him to get closer. When he was about six feet from her, she darted forward and slid across the ground, tripping his feet out from under him. Before he hit the ground, though, she grabbed a hold of his ankle from midair, and started swinging him around in a large circle. After spinning around a few times, she let go, throwing him straight out of the ring. He slammed face-first into the wall at the edge of the spectator seating, and slid down to the ground.

The crowd applauded the move, and cheered her on. Blossom wiped the sweat from her forehead, and thrust a fist into the air victoriously. _I can't believe it_, she thought. _I'm only a fight away from the finals! I can do it!_

* * *

The ring was cleared out, and everyone awaited the next battle. The Commander spoke, "For our next fight, we have another of the adorable PowerPuff Girls…she's been called the sweet one, but like her sisters, she really packs a punch…please welcome…Bubbles!" She flew out into the arena, and cheerfully blew a few kisses to the audience as she went into the ring. The crowd cheered once again, and she landed, smiling happily.

"And now, her opponent, a hero who _needs_ no introductions…he saved the world countless times from some of the greatest threats the planet has ever known…please welcome last year's Grand Champion…Monkey!" The crowd went wild, chanting his name, as he soared out over the ring, landing on the opposite side.

Bubbles watched him enter the ring, and couldn't help but feel a little nervous. _Okay, Bubbles, you can do it_, she thought…_he's one of the strongest superheroes in the world, but so are you! You made it this far, right?_ She gave the professor in the audience a glance, and he smiled. Bubbles smiled back, and prepared for battle, looking over at Monkey again.

The Commander said, "Ready? Fight!" Monkey immediately raised his fists over his head, charging up an enormous amount of energy. A bright white glow now surrounded him. Bubbles, in the meantime, flew up into the air, gaining a high position over him…she watched him carefully, trying to decide what she should do next.

Monkey took off, flying up to where Bubbles was, swinging a punch, but Bubbles slipped past him on his right side, avoiding the punch. As she passed him, she grabbed his tail, and flew towards the ground, pulling him along with her. At the last second, she stopped and let go, flinging him directly into the ring floor, where he impacted with a loud *CRASH*. As the dust cleared, there was a crater left where Monkey had crashed. He rubbed his head, and slowly picked himself back up.

Bubbles, in the meantime, landed on the ground, and waited once again. After a few moments, Monkey flew up out of the hole, and dashed towards her. He threw a quick flurry of punches…Bubbles blocked the first two, but the third struck her in the chest, knocking her off-balance. Monkey's large simian foot instantly swung around, clocking her in the side of the head. She was knocked sideways, and slid across the surface of the ring, digging up a trench behind her. She sat up, rubbing the side of her head, and said, "Ow!"

She didn't have long to recover, though, as Monkey's eyes began glowing…he fired a crimson red beam from them, towards Bubbles, who spotted this and immediately fired back with her own eyebeams. The beams struck each other halfway, and exploded, knocking them both back a few yards. Bubbles quickly climbed back to her feet and, taking a deep breath, unleashed a loud scream…as the sonic soundwaves rushed towards Monkey, he pursed his lips and made his _own_ sound-based attack, creating similar waves that met Bubbles'. A loud sonic boom cracked the air from the collision of the soundwaves, creating a brief rush of wind that everyone in the arena felt.

From the staging area, Blossom commented, "She's holding her own out there…"

"Yeah," Buttercup added, "but so's Monkey."

Both of the competitors were looking tired from the attacks they had just made. Bubbles panted, trying to catch her breath again. Monkey, though, took advantage of this opportunity and leapt forward, tackling her. He pinned Bubbles, but then she kicked him up into the air off of her. Leaping to her feet, she powered up her eyebeams and fired a blast at him. He recovered from her kick, and soared out of the way of the eyebeam just before it hit him.

Landing on the ground, Monkey dashed forward and started swinging a fast series of punches and kicks. Bubbles moved as fast as she could, blocking or avoiding each of his attacks, but she was being forced backwards anyway, by each one…

"Oh no," Blossom exclaimed, noticing where they were heading, "He's going to force her out of the ring!"

Bubbles was indeed growing closer to the ring's edge, and Monkey wasn't showing any signs of letting up his barrage. She saw an opening, though, and quickly took advantage of it. She flew forward suddenly, grabbing Monkey by the arm and pulling him along with her, all the way to the opposite end of the ring. She gave a loud scream, almost like a war cry, and was just about to fling Monkey right to the ground outside the ring, when he grabbed her with his free arm. With a twist, he reversed their positions in midair at the last instant. Bubbles, unable to respond fast enough, was rammed into the ground outside the ring. Monkey jumped free, landing back within the ring's boundaries.

The crowd roared at Monkey's sudden victory, and they began chanting his name again. He panted heavily, and finally gave a sigh of relief. Bubbles sat up from the impact crater she left in the ground, and sobbed. Monkey walked over to where she was sitting, and held his hand out, saying, "Oo eek?"

Bubbles sniffed, and smiled through her tears, taking Monkey's hand and nodding, "Friends…" He helped her out of the hole, and the crowd went, "Awwww…" at this display of kindness. Monkey turned and waved back at the audience, as Bubbles hovered away from the ring.

She returned to the staging area, and Blossom said, "Hey, don't feel so bad…you did great out there!"

"I…did?" Bubbles asked.

"Yeah, Bubbles!" Buttercup nodded. "That was awesome! You almost had him. I'm impressed!"

"Thanks," she said, smiling. She felt a lot better now. _I got further than I expected,_ she thought, _and we _all_ can't win…I'm just happy I lasted as long as I did…_

* * *

Everyone waited as they prepared to start the next fight. They watched as the Commander reappeared on the screen and announced, "I now have the pleasure of introducing to you the third and last PowerPuff sister…often described as the toughest fighter in the group, please welcome…Buttercup!" She flew out from the staging area, and as the crowd cheered, she grinned. _Ah… fame,_ she thought. _No matter how I do, I'm gonna be world-famous after this!_

As she landed, the Commander continued, "And her opponent…here for an encore performance, the Viking God of Rock himself…ladies and gentlemen…Val Halen!" He flew into the ring, riding on top of his guitar, and landed in a shower of sparks. Dark clouds formed in the sky, and colored spotlights shown down on him from above. The crowd, particularly the ladies, cheered like mad.

Buttercup herself was a little overcome. She knew she would be fighting him, and had prepared for it, but her feelings changed, now that they were face to face. _It's really Val Halen,_ she thought. _I listen to his songs all the time! It almost a shame to have to fight him…_She shook her head…_wait, what am I thinking? Snap out of it, Buttercup! Don't let it get to you!_ She smiled and thought, _Maybe after this is done, I can get his autograph…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the Commander, who spoke, "Ready…fight!" She quickly focused back on the battle, quickly getting into a fighting stance.

Val Halen pointed at Buttercup and declared, "Thou mayest have great strength, little babette, but canst thou withstand the awesome power of my Mighty Axe?" He thrust the Axe into the air, and a lightning bolt struck it from the sky, charging it with great power. Buttercup couldn't help but be impressed by this display. As she watched this in awe, he continued, "Now, _let's rock!_" He jumped up and played a single chord, firing a wave of energy directly at her.

She snapped out of it just in time, and dodged. The blast struck the ground, ripping a good-sized hole right where she was standing a moment before. She flew up off the ground and grinned, heading directly for him. He responded quickly, though, suddenly swinging his guitar like a club and batting her right out of the air. Buttercup hit the ground, but immediately leapt back to her feet, none the worse for wear.

She shot across the ring in a flash, faster this time, crossing the distance before Val Halen could wind up for another swing. She slammed a fist into his gut, causing him to double over, and followed it with an uppercut. Val Halen stumbled back, then regained his balance and tried to land one of his own punches. Buttercup easily ducked under it…she slipped behind him and grabbed hold of his long, blonde hair, pulling him into the air with her. He yelped, "My golden tresses!" and waved his arms, feebly trying to get free.

Buttercup spun around once, and threw Val Halen towards the nearest edge of the ring. He hit the ground early, while still inside of the ring, and he quickly slid to a halt. Standing back up, he said, "Thy moves are most awesome, little babette, but now I shall unveil my _true_ power!" He raised the Mighty Axe into playing position and shouted, his voice echoing in the sky, "I call upon the legendary Rock Garden…heed my command, and give me the power to _rock the house_!" A bright spotlight shown down on him from the clouds, and he immediately started playing with extraordinary skill, his music sending the crowd into a frenzy of cheering and filling the arena with the most incredible rock solo any of them had ever heard. Even Blossom and Bubbles were pressed up against the window of the staging area, screaming with joy.

Buttercup herself was overwhelmed…the music mesmerized her, and she cheered right along with the rest of the crowd. Its power was taking hold of her, draining her will to fight, until all she could do was stand there and listen. Deep in the back of her mind, she struggled against it, her thoughts clashing. _It's fantastic! It's the most awesome thing I've ever heard…no! No, you have to fight! Get a hold of yourself! But…the music…_

Val Halen sweated as he played, starting to grow tired, but he didn't let up for an instant. Already, many of the ladies in the audience had fainted…Buttercup felt like she was going to follow suit, so powerful were the licks that he played. She thought, _Gotta focus…gotta outlast him…don't give in…_ The playing continued for what seemed like ages, neither one giving in…

Finally, Val Halen played a final chord, and slumped forward panting, trying to catch his breath. Buttercup was still weak, but nevertheless, she decided not to pass up this opportunity. Using the last ounces of her strength, she flew forward and struck him in the jaw with a powerful kick. The kick was enough to knock him out entirely, in his currently weakened state. He collapsed to the ground, out cold.

Buttercup landed on unsteady legs, barely conscious herself. She raised her fists in victory, and the people who were still awake in the crowd cheered her on. She smiled to herself, and thought, _So tired…better get some rest before the next fight…just two more to go, Buttercup…that's all, just two more…_

* * *

After the crowd had recovered from the last conflict, the Commander prepared to introduce the final fight of round 4. "And now, lastly…the Justice Friends member with the greatest strength…his name says it all…please welcome…the Infraggable Krunk!" He leapt out onto the playing field, landing with a fierce tremor, and he threw back his head, giving a ferocious growl. The crowd rooted for him.

Continuing, the Commander said, "And his opponent…a newcomer to the superhero scene, and an enigma…silent, but deadly…please welcome…Brainstem!" The crowd applauded…but then, became quiet in confusion, as no one emerged. The Commander blinked a few times, and called out, "Brainstem?"

Inside the staging area, the girls glanced around, as did the other heroes that were there. Blossom said, "Where _is_ he?"

"Maybe he had to use the restroom…" Bubbles suggested.

A moment later, Brainstem suddenly entered the room from the back door. He strode quickly past the other heroes, who watched him, puzzled. As he approached, Buttercup asked, "Where have you been? It's your turn to fight!"

Without slowing down, or even turning to look at them, he whispered, "Had to take care of something." He continued past them, heading for the arena.

Bubbles nodded, "Yep…the restroom, all right."

Brainstem emerged from the staging area, and the crowd immediately started cheering. He moved hastily over to his position in the ring, and turned towards Krunk, glaring at him. The Commander nodded, "Everyone's ready now?" Both Krunk and Brainstem nodded. "All right then…fight!"

Krunk crouched, preparing to leap, and yelled, "Krunk _smash_ puny brain guy!" He jumped up high, covering the distance in a single leap, coming down feet-first at his opponent. Brainstem, however, ran forward, under the arc of his jump, to safety. Krunk landed, and spun around. With a growl, he pulled a huge chunk of rock up from the ground, and hurled it. Brainstem pulled a small grenade-like device from his backpack and threw it…the device struck the rock, and it exploded, disintegrating the rock completely in a bright, rainbow-colored flash of light. The crowd ooohed at the impressive light show.

Without wasting a moment, he pulled a rather large laser cannon out from his backpack—which by now, people were noticing, held a lot more than it looked like it could hold—and powered it up. Krunk began charging forward, but Brainstem aimed and fired the cannon…a huge, bright green, continuous beam of light shot forth, striking Krunk head-on and stopping him in his tracks. He struggled against the energy from the beam, which continued to pour out at him. The ground around him was breaking up from the intense energy around the sides of the blast, but Krunk himself remained unharmed…he put his shoulder forward and pushed against the beam, edging forward slowly.

"Man, look at Krunk take that beam!" Buttercup said, from the staging area.

"Yeah," Bubbles nodded, "I guess they don't call him 'Infraggable' for nothing…"

Blossom, however, was focused more on Brainstem. _Hmm,_ she thought. _Geniuses usually aren't born overnight…so where did _this_ guy come from? I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this…_

Krunk continued advancing, and he growled, "Krunk…is…strongest!" He thrust his hands forward suddenly, forcing some of the energy back. The impact caused Brainstem to be knocked backwards, and he lost his balance, the laser cannon dropping from his hands and smashing into pieces on the ground. Now free of the beam, Krunk bounded forward, arms outstretched.

Brainstem's eyes darted back and forth quickly, as though looking for an avenue of escape, but not finding one. Krunk towered over him as he approached, casting a huge shadow down across his section of the ring. As he reached down to grab him, though, Brainstem leapt up unexpectedly, pulling a small, palm-sized device from his backpack. In one fluid motion, he slammed it against Krunk's forehead, and it locked in place with a spark of electricity. As he landed back on the ground, Krunk straightened back up, a confused look on his face.

With a flourish, he pulled a small remote control from his backpack and punched a few buttons on it. Krunk raised his arms out in front of him and walked forward, a blank expression on his face. Even through his hood, it looked like Brainstem was smiling. He punched a few more buttons, and Krunk stiffly strode over to the edge of the ring and stepped off.

The crowd applauded Brainstem's creative way of defeating his opponent, and Brainstem responded by bowing to the audience once again. At the same time, the device on Krunk's head ran out of power, and he glanced around, confused, "What happen?"

Blossom watched carefully as Brainstem walked back into the staging area. He walked through without saying a word to anyone, and disappeared through the back door once again. Blossom remarked, "I don't trust him…"

"Why not?" Bubbles asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "There's something funny about him…"

Buttercup waved it off, "Relax, Red! Can't you just have fun, without tryin' to make a situation out of everything? Loosen up, for once. Anyway, we're going into the fifth round, so we have more important things to worry about…"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Blossom said reluctantly. Then she brightened up, "The professor must be so proud of us right now! We're in the home stretch, Buttercup…let's see if one of us makes it all the way!"

* * *

In one of the locker rooms inside the main arena building, Brainstem looked at himself in front of the mirror. He examined his glass bubble helmet, which had taken a small crack in the last battle. Unscrewing it, he removed the glass portion, pulling it carefully up over his exposed brain, and set it down in front of him. Taking a small laser from his backpack, he carefully sealed the crack back up.

"Good as new," he said to himself. He carefully replaced the glass bubble, and looked into the mirror again. Some of his hair was sticking out messily from underneath the hood, and he gently tucked it back underneath. Finally convinced that he looked all right once again, he nodded, and turned away from the mirror. "Now," he whispered to himself, "to finish my preparations. Soon, the _real_ show will begin…and when it is over, I will become known all over the world, at long last…"

**__**

END OF PART 2


	3. Part 3

PART 3 **__**

PART 3

The crowd that was gathered in the arena was ecstatic; the fighting had been fantastic so far, and now the conclusion was drawing near. Bubbles had left the staging area and had joined Professor Utonium up in the stands. "You really think I did good?" she asked him.

"Of course!" the professor replied. "I don't think I've ever seen you fight as skillfully as you did today. This tournament provided you with a lot of experience…experience that you'll put to good use back in Townsville."

"I guess you're right…" Bubbles admitted. She glanced out into the rest of the audience, and sighed. _They're big fans of Monkey, after all…and he won last year's fight…I guess I should be happy to have fought him at all._

As she pondered these things, she thought she saw something further down in the stands. Someone was moving through the crowd…and for a moment, she saw the glass bubble helmet with the exposed brain underneath. _Brainstem?_ she thought. _What's he doing out here?_

Bubbles was about to say something about it to the professor, when the Earth Forces Commander reappeared on the large screen, distracting her. The crowd immediately cheered, and he said, "Thank you. Now…it is time to begin the fifth round of the tournament, the semi-finals. The remaining four competitors have sufficiently rested and recuperated from their earlier battles, and are now ready to fight once again. The winner of each bout will advance to the finals, to compete for the title of Grand Champion."

As the crowed cheered once more, the Commander continued, "Now, without further ado, let's bring out the fighters for the first match. Monkey…vs…Buttercup!" The crowd's cheer rose to an almost deafening roar as the two of them flew out from the staging area, flying across the arena and taking their positions in the ring.

"All right! Go, Buttercup!" Bubbles shouted, barely audible over the crowd. Buttercup smiled, and swung a few quick punches and kicks into the air, ending in a battle stance. Monkey, in the meantime, rose both of his fists over his head and screeched a loud battle cry. The crowd applauded this display from the two of them.

"Competitors, ready," the Commander said. Monkey and Buttercup locked eyes and stood ready to attack. Buttercup was grinning ear-to-ear…_This is gonna be great!_ she thought. _I'm fighting Monkey, I can hardly believe it!_ She saw the stern, serious expression on his face, and thought, _He'll be tough…but I can do it. Yeah! Live it while you can, Monkey, 'cause after today, we're gonna have a _new_ grand champion!_

The Commander waited a few more seconds, then shouted, "Fight!"

In flash, almost too fast for anyone to see, the two shot towards each other and met in the center of the ring. They collided, and Buttercup immediately attacked with a flurry of punches. Monkey easily blocked each attack, and countered by doing a quick reverse somersault, slamming into her chin with both of his feet. This launched her skyward, and in a blur, Monkey flew up past her. He spun in a forward somersault, kicking Buttercup back down towards the ground. She recovered just before hitting, and landed feet-first. Monkey landed across from her, on the other side of the ring, a small smile on his face. Buttercup simply grinned back, and waited for Monkey's next move.

She didn't have long to wait; Monkey leapt forward, pulling one of his fists back, preparing to punch. When he reached Buttercup, he swung, but missed…she had suddenly dodged three feet to one side, leaving a streak of green light behind her, through which his fist passed harmlessly. Now right beside him, she brought and elbow down onto his back, slamming him into the ground. She immediately followed it up with a kick, sending Monkey rolling end over end across the ring. He came to a stop finally, and Buttercup simply folded her arms smugly.

Bubbles watched this from the stands, and remarked, "Why's she just standing there? He's not down yet…"

"What do you mean?" the professor asked. "That looked like it hurt."

Bubbles shook her head, "Nuh uh…he's just playing with her right now. I should know."

In the meantime, Monkey had picked himself back up from the ground. The 'M' on his forehead was crooked, and he casually straightened it. The smile returned to his face, which caused Buttercup to give a momentary look of surprise. Then she smiled back, thinking, _He's just trying to psyche me out, that's all…if I just keep this up, I'll beat 'em._

Monkey slowly rose his fists over his head, and was surrounded by a white glow as he powered up. Buttercup was unimpressed, and flew up into the air, shouting, "Come and get me, monkey boy!" She barely completed the sentence, though, when Monkey was suddenly right in front of her…he had crossed the distance in a blink of an eye, leaving a white lightning-like trail in the air behind him. Before she even had time to acknowledge that he was there, his fist slammed into her gut, causing her to double over. Then he reached out with his other hand, grabbing her by the arm and throwing her towards the ground outside the ring.

From the staging area, Blossom gasped, "Oh no! She's going out!"

Buttercup was still a little stunned by the hit she had taken, but she noticed at the last second where she was falling to. Tensing up, she gritted her teeth and managed to start hovering, stopping her fall mere inches above the ground. The crowd applauded the save, as Buttercup floated back over to the safety of the ring.

She glanced up at Monkey, who was still hovering in the air above, a smile still on his face. She thought angrily, _That does it! It's time to show him who's boss!_ She leapt into the air, flying directly for Monkey, who raised his arms defensively in front of him. Instead of attacking him head on, though, Buttercup made a nintey-degree turn to the right, just before reaching him…in an instant, she had circled around, and ended up directly behind him. As he turned his head in surprise, she kicked him in the back…the blow knocked him forward, and he quickly swiveled around to face her. By that time, however, Buttercup had circled around behind him again, and gave him another strong kick. Monkey stumbled forward in the air once again, and turned around, his expression turning to anger.

Once again, Buttercup had dashed behind him again, but this time, he anticipated it, and backhanded her in the face without turning around. She hovered back, covering her mouth in pain. Monkey finally spun around, and shot a beam of energy from his eyes. The beam struck Buttercup, and she dropped from the sky, impacting onto the ring surface below and kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

"Great scott!" the professor said when he saw this, "I hope she's all right…"

"Me too," Bubbles said, watching the ring with concern.

For a moment, it looked like Buttercup may have been knocked out, but as the dust cleared, the crowd saw her standing in the impact crater. She coughed a few times, and wiped the dust from her eyes. The crowd cheered, but she was too busy thinking to notice. _He's good…really good…I don't know how long I'm gonna last, so I better find a way take him out!_

Monkey flew down to the ground and landed…he quickly bounded across the ring and leapt, arms outstretched, directly for Buttercup. She tried to dodge, but Monkey tackled her, slamming her to the ground in a pin. He immediately started swinging left and right hooks, bashing Buttercup repeatedly in the face. She was unable to put up any kind of defense as she was struck by blow after blow.

Watching this, Bubbles was worried, "She's in trouble…what'll she do now?"

"I don't know," the professor replied. "I don't know if she _can_ do anything; he's got her pinned…"

Indeed, the pummeling wouldn't stop. Monkey continued his onslaught, trying to knock her out. Buttercup tried to resist, but she was slowly starting to give, her eyes clenched shut under the barrage. She suddenly let out a cry of rage, and her eyes flew open, firing her eyebeams. Monkey was blasted off of her, and he fell back, landing on the ground about twenty feet away. As he picked himself up, Buttercup got back to her feet, panting heavily through clenched teeth.

"_That_ _does it!!_" she yelled, and she suddenly dashed at Monkey in a fury. She attacked with an incredibly fast flurry of blows, moving like a blur. The crowd could barely see anything more than a green flash, as Monkey was knocked around by the assault. She finished with one massive uppercut, which knocked a tooth loose from Monkey's mouth when it struck…he was knocked into the air, and fell back to the ground, landing near the center of the ring.

The crowd fell silent, waiting to see what would happen. Buttercup paused to catch her breath, as Monkey jumped back to his feet. His expression was one of fierce determination, and he just stood there, glaring back at Buttercup. A moment later, he wavered slightly, and toppled forward, landing face-first on the ground with a *thud*.

Buttercup blinked a few times, and whispered, "I…I…beat him?" A slow smile spread across her face, and she exclaimed, "_I beat him_!" The crowd started cheering like mad, and many of them started chanting her name.

Bubbles was also jumping for joy, shouting, "She did it! She did it!"

Buttercup waved some more to the audience, and flew triumphantly back to the staging area. Blossom rushed over to her and said, "All right! That was awesome, Buttercup! You're going to the finals now!"

"Yeah!" she said. "See? I told ya!" She took a seat, still smiling, and thought, _This is it! I'm going to the finals! I can actually win this thing! Well, was there any other doubt? I can take _anything_ this tournament can throw at me…even Monkey! That championship is mine!_

* * *

"So where is he _now_?" Blossom said to herself, pacing back and forth in the staging area. It was just about time for their fight, but Brainstem was nowhere to be seen. The crowd was getting impatient, as was Blossom.

Buttercup seemed equally upset, "For cryin' out loud...why don't they just disqualify him?"

"Well, the rules _do_ say that a competitor gets a fifteen minute period to arrive for their fight," Blossom pointed out. "How long has it been?"

"Thirteen minutes," Buttercup replied, looking up at a clock on the wall. "Did you see that crack on his helmet from before? Maybe he's fixing it up or something..."

Before Blossom could answer, the door slammed open, and Brainstem strode into the room. A black cloth, similar to his clothing, was tied around his bubble helmet, completely obscuring it, now making him look almost like a complete shadow. As he crossed the room, Blossom scowled at him, arms folded, "Well, nice of you to make it, Brainstem."

"Yeah," added Buttercup sarcastically, "I was all set to send out an engraved invitation."

Brainstem didn't answer, but walked past them, and headed out for the arena. Blossom glanced at Buttercup and asked, "What's with his helmet?"

"Maybe he just doesn't want it cracked anymore," Buttercup guessed.

Blossom sighed, and shrugged, "Ah well...let's just get this over with, then..." She followed him out of the staging area.

As the two of them emerged out into the arena, the crowd burst into applause. They each took their positions in the ring. Blossom was too busy focusing on the coming fight to wave or give any kind of pose for the audience, and neither did Brainstem. The Commander's face appeared on the screen, and he said, "All right, we're finally ready for the last semi-finals battle...Brainstem vs. Blossom."

While the Commander talked, Blossom studied her opponent carefully. _There's something I don't like about him,_ she thought. _I know he's up to something, but what? Well, in any case, I'll just be careful not to let my guard down, or underestimate him_. She dropped down into a fighting stance, and waited for the beginning of the battle. Brainstem put a hand up to his backpack, awaiting the signal as well.

The Commander noticed everything was set, and announced, "Fight!"

Blossom immediately flew into the air, knowing that her opponent wouldn't be able to fly after her. She hovered above the ring, and watched to see what his first move was going to be. Brainstem, in the meantime, drew a weapon from his backpack...it had a large bore, like a grenade launcher. He aimed it not at her, though, but rather at the ring's edge, and pulled the trigger. A small, claw-like orb shot out and attached itself to the ground with a *clack*, inches from the edge of the ring.

Blossom scratched her head, thinking, _What's he doing?_

Brainstem didn't stop there, but turned slowly and kept firing. He launched a dozen more orbs out, lining the ring's edge with them all the way around. Once they were all in place, he threw the weapon aside, and pulled out a remote control device, clicking the button. A yellow beam shot straight up into the air from each one of the orbs, stopping about two hundred feet up into the air. As Blossom watched, the space between each of the beams was slowly filled in by yellow energy, including the top, until at last the energy field completely surrounded the entire ring.

Blossom glared down at Brainstem and shouted, "What do you think you're doing?" She glanced back at the field, and suddenly came to her own conclusion, thinking, _Oh I've got it...he wants to be sure that we don't have any ringouts for this battle...but...why? It seems like it'd be a bigger advantage for _him_ to have a way to take me out instantly..._

While she thought, Brainstem raised his arm, firing a blast of energy from his arm-mounted weapon. Blossom dodged it in alarm, then focused back on the fight again. She swooped down towards Brainstem, trying to ram him. He threw up his arm shield just in the nick of time, but he was still pushed back from the impact. Responding to this, he fired a spread of shots back...there were too many of them to dodge, but instead, Blossom fired her eyebeams, which cut across the blasts and destroyed them while they were still at a safe distance.

Brainstem reached into his backpack to get another device, but by that time, Blossom had already reached him agian. She gave him a kick, knocking him onto his back, and flew up higher, readying to drop down on him from above. He was prepared, though, and threw a strange-looking metallic sphere from his backpack up at her. Blossom was taken by surprise and it struck her...it bounced off and hovered near her, and a blue, electrical energy field surrounded and trapped her, like a solid bubble. She pounded against it with her fist, but it wouldn't give.

Calmly standing back up again, Brainstem suddenly laughed, and surprised Blossom once again by speaking in a loud voice, "Yes! Now that I have you, my plans are complete, and there is no one that can stop me now!"

Blossom gasped, "I know that voice...Hey, you're..."

"That's right!" he interrupted. With a flourish, he whisked off his black cloth costume, tossing it aside. On his head, he was no longer wearing the clear glass bubble helmet, but rather, an opaque white one, with purple line decorations. On his body, he was wearing a blue outfit, with white boots and gloves, and a long purple cape. Most readily apparent to the audience, though, were his simian features and his twisted, evil expression...

"Mojo Jojo!" Blossom said, her expression turning to one of anger. The crowd also gasped at the sight of the supervillain.

Mojo just laughed, "I have tricked you all! I have pulled the wool over your eyes! Thanks to your ignorance, my plans were completed flawlessly, and I, Mojo Jojo, will soon become the most infamous villain in the world!"

As the heroes began pouring out from the staging area, Blossom said, "Forget it, Mojo! Where do you think you _are_? You're surrounded by superheroes, from all over the world! Do you really think you're going to get out of here? Or succeed with whatever your evil schemes are?"

"Ah! But that is where you are wrong, Blossom!" Mojo said, waggling a finger. "For you see, I have taken special precautions. The forcefield that surrounds the ring is impenetrable! It cannot be passed, even by the most powerful of superheroes. But most importantly, it serves another purpose...I'm sure you're wondering right now why I would _want_ to infiltrate such a place..."

"Mojo..." Blossom began.

"Silence!" Mojo shouted, "I am revealing my plan...at least have the courtesy to listen to it, to bask in its brilliance." He cleared his throat and continued. "It was a simple matter to pass myself off as a superhero. All I had to do was lie when filling out the background check form during registration. After that was complete, like any other 'hero', I had full access to the Hero's Arena...which I used during periods of rest between matches to put my plans into action..."

He pulled a bottle of water out from his backpack, took a swig, and put it back. "Ahh. Now where was I? Oh yes...thanks to the amount of time I had to put my plans into action, I sneaked around the entire arena, planting _these_ in key locations!" He withdrew a small, palm-sized device from the backpack, and pointed at it. "It may be small, but the explosion is tremendous, enough to eliminate a whole building. And I have placed hundreds of them around!"

"What?" Blossom exclaimed. "You're going to blow the whole place up?"

Mojo pointed at her, "Exactly! Think of it. With all the world's greatest heroes together in one place, I can destroy them all in one swift blow!" Some of the heroes by the edge of the forcefield backed away slowly at this point. Mojo continued, "Once that is done, I will become world-famous! Not as a Grand Champion of the arena, but rather, as the villain who single-handedly used his genius to make the world safe for crime!"

He clasped his hands together in front of him, and added, "The most difficult part of this plan wasn't staying in the tournament long enough to plant all the explosives...it was staying quiet long enough so that you would not see through my deception. It is hard to have such a brilliant scheme, but be unable to gloat about it..."

"Listen, Mojo," Blossom interrupted. "Why blow up the entire arena? Won't you blow yourself up with it?"

"Are you forgetting the forcefield around the ring? No, my accursed enemy...we are quite safe in here. We are in no danger whatsoever. The people on the other side of the ring, on the other had, are quite the opposite!" He calmly smiled, taking another remote control device from his backpack, and said, "But this is beside the point. I believe all my plan's details have been revealed, so now it is time to detonate the explosives...farewell, heroes of the world!"

Blossom looked around desperately, trying to figure a way out of her electric prison. She spotted the tiny metal sphere outside the field that was generating it. _If only I could reach it,_ she thought. _Wait a second...air seems to be coming through the field okay, or else I would be suffocating in here...I may not be able to punch through it_, _but just maybe..._ She took a deep breath, and blew a blast of her ice breath. It passed straight through the shield, and covered the metal sphere. Dropping to the ground, it shattered, and the instant this happened, the field around her vanished.

"Eh?" Mojo said, hearing the crash of metal on the ground, just before punching the button on the remote. He didn't have time to react further, before Blossom reached him, and with a single punch, knocked him back against the edge of the yellow forcefield. The remote control dropped out his hand, and Blossom quickly fired here eyebeams at it, destroying it.

Mojo shook a fist in the air, and said, "You miserable little brat! You'll pay for your annoying tendency to come up with a way to foil my plans at the last minute!" He reached into his backpack and pulled two wicked-looking laser weapons from it. Blossom backed off a little, and prepared to dodge. Mojo began opening fire with them, launching a spread of tiny missiles, which streaked directly for her. She shot to the side, but the missiles turned and followed her.

"Muahahaha!" Mojo laughed, "You cannot shake my homing missiles once they have acquired you as a target!" Blossom circled around the ring, trying to keep ahead of the missiles, but they grew closer and closer to her with each passing moment. She finally flew directly towards the yellow energy field at the edge of the ring, and pulled up at the last moment. The missiles flew into it and exploded.

Before she had a chance to make her _own_ attack, though, Mojo had already pulled another large weapon from his backpack. As he armed it and prepared to fire, Blossom decided it was best not to give him the chance to use it...she quick shot an eyebeam blast, hitting the weapon dead center. It exploded, throwing Mojo back across the field. He landed on the ground, and rubbed his head, but instantly Blossom was upon him with punches and kicks.

He was easily overwhelmed, and collapsed to the ground, muttering, "Ughh....curssseessssss...." before passing out entirely. Blossom reached down and picked up his other remote control, pressing the button, and the forcefield around the edge of the arena dropped down.

The crowd went wild. All the heroes that were waiting outside the field swarmed in, and congratulated her. As some of them dragged Mojo off the field, Major Glory stopped by her side and said, "I'm impressed, little lady! I knew you have the makings of a great hero someday...but I wouldn't have guessed that that day would be today!"

She smiled and said, "Thanks, Major Glory!"

Both Bubbles and Buttercup flew over; Buttercup said, "Way to go, leader girl! You took Mojo down all by yourself! Man, what an moron...thinking he could take down all these superheroes himself, I thought he was supposed to be _smart_..."

"Yeah!" Bubbles nodded. She glanced over at Monkey, who had recuperated from the earlier fight and was out there along with the other heroes. "Besides, one monkey's enough, right?" They all laughed, partially due to the joke and partially due to relief that everything had turned out all right.

The Commander's face appeared on the large screen, and he said, "Well done, Blossom! You've saved us all! I am deeply disappointed that our screening procedures didn't prevent villains like this 'Mojo Jojo' from infiltrating the competition. Rest assured that this will not happen again in future tournaments. You did technically defeat Brainstem, though, fair and square...so I have the pleasure of saying that you'll be advancing to the finals. Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "after a brief period for our fighters to rest and recuperate, we will proceed with round six, the deciding fight between our two finalists...Blossom and Buttercup!"

The two of them looked at each other. In all the excitement, they had almost forgotten about the finals. They were going to be fighting each other...it was a possibility they hadn't considered when they entered the tournament in the first place, and now that it had happened, they weren't sure what to make of it. They knew only one thing: only one could win the title of Grand Champion, and that was to be decided soon enough...

**__**

END OF PART 3


	4. Part 4

PART 4 **__**

PART 4

The time for the final fight grew nearer. During the rest period, Blossom had slipped out to the stands to ask Professor Utonium's advice. "I can't believe it's come to this, Professor…" she said. "I mean, Buttercup's attitude gets to me once and a while, so it's not like I haven't thought about fighting her before. I just didn't _want_ to."

"Of course you don't," the professor said. "She's your sister. The thing you have to remember, though, is that this is still a friendly competition. Don't let your personal feelings get too involved."

Blossom nodded, "I'll try, but…I don't know…" She glanced over, "What do you think, Bubbles?"

"I say, go ahead and kick her butt!" Bubbles said, cheerfully.

"Bubbles!" the professor scolded.

"Well, why not?" Bubbles asked. "It's all in fun, isn't it? Might as well _have _fun, then…"

Blossom thought about this. _This is a serious competition…but Bubbles is right; what it really boils down to is sport…fun. I guess I shouldn't feel too bad about it, since it's only a game._ A smile crossed her face as she thought, _Besides, maybe this'll deflate that ego of hers a little bit for once…_

* * *

Buttercup sat quietly out on one of the high walls of the arena, gazing out into the darkening sky. It wasn't night quite yet, but the day was fast approaching it's end. Still, it was nice and peaceful. It was too noisy back at the arena, and she really needed to be alone to think right about now.

_I should be happy right now_, she thought. _I'm almost the Grand Champion! I fought against some incredibly tough opponents to get where I am now. But…aw man, what's wrong with me? I've always wanted to see if I'm stronger than she is _anyway_, so why not now? It's my chance to show her up, to show her that's she's not little miss perfect…_

She sighed and rested her head in her arms. _Why did it have to be Blossom? This would've been so much easier if it had been Bubbles. Oh well…I guess it was bound to happen eventually, so I might as well make the most of it._ She grinned. _'Sides, maybe this'll deflate that ego of hers a little bit for once…_

* * *

Night had fallen, and the bright lights around the edge of the arena had been switched on, illuminating the ring almost as bright as day. The crowd was getting anxious, but now that the time was growing near, they fell silent, waiting for the announcement of the final round. All of the heroes from the previous battles had also lined up along the edge of the arena in ringside seats to watch the coming fight.

The Earth Forces Commander's face appeared on the big screen, and the crowd immediately cheered. He waited until they calmed down again, and began to speak, "Ladies and gentlemen…on behalf of the Earth Forces, the Justice Friends, and everyone else who made it all possible, I'd like to thank you for attending the twenty-third annual World Superheroes Tournament. It is time now for the final competition, which will bring the day's events to a close. The sixth and final round is about to begin!"

After another chorus of cheers, he continued, "All of this year's competitors have fought with great skill, but none have been as impressive as the PowerPuff Girls. Not only are these three new to the tournament, but they're also the youngest heroes to ever participate in it. And yet, against the fiercest competition, two of them have prevailed, rising above all others. However, as is tradition, only one may be given the title of Grand Champion, and so, these two must fight, sister vs. sister, to decide the final outcome."

As his words echoed in the arena, the Commander gazed down at the ring and said, "And now, the moment you've been waiting for…please welcome the finalists…Blossom and Buttercup!" The roar of the crowd escalated as the two of them flew out from the staging area into the ring. They both circled around for a moment, and then landed, taking their positions. The crowd continued their deafening cheer, and the Commander waited for them to quiet down so that he could start the fight.

In the meantime, Blossom and Buttercup's eyes were locked. Buttercup smirked, and said, "Ready to lose, leader girl?"

"Not tonight, Buttercup," Blossom replied confidently.

"Come on, you can't expect to beat me. You _know_ I'm the toughest fighter."

"And I _also_ know you're not too bright." Blossom smiled, "You're liable to make a mistake."

Buttercup laughed, "Fat chance. If _that's_ your strategy, you might as well give up now."

"Not on your life," Blossom said.

The crowd finally calmed back down again. A small breeze blew through the ring, rifling through their hair. Everything fell completely silent. They continued to stare at each other, both going into a fighting stance, waiting for the signal to begin. Everyone could feel the tension in the air.

In the silence, the Commander's voice rang out, echoing across the arena, "Fight!"

Both of them charged at each other, crossing the ring in the blink of an eye and a flash of color. They collided at the center of the ring, both of them unleashing a quick flurry of punches and kicks. Both of them were moving so fast that the audience could barely see them. Despite their speed, each blow was either dodged or blocked by the other. After a few moments of this, Buttercup dropped suddenly, trying to kick Blossom's legs out from underneath her. Blossom quickly leapt over the sweep, sending a kick towards Buttercup's head, but she had already backed up, avoiding it. Blossom took a small hop back as well, and they both stood still once again, facing each other silently and unscathed.

From the ringside seats, Major Glory was impressed, "Lincoln's beard! They're so fast!"

Val Halen nodded, "And strong…my jaw doth still ache from the thrashing I received."

"Who do you think will win?" Glory asked. "The leader has _my_ vote."

Val Halen shook his head, "I say Buttercup. She has a most awesome fighting spirit." He turned to Krunk, next to him, and said, "What dost _thou_ say, infraggable one?"

Krunk grinned and said, "Krunk like _both_ of da pumpkin heads."

After the momentary pause in the battle, Blossom began moving again. She flew into the air, soaring high over the ring, and prepared to fly down towards Buttercup. She didn't give him the chance, though, as she flew up also, to meet Blossom halfway. She caught Blossom off-guard and managed to land a punch to her chin. She reeled back, and Buttercup didn't let up. She immediately threw another quick set of blows to her gut, and finished with a kick to the side of her head. She was sent flying sideways…in a burst of speed, Buttercup flew past her, and raised her fist to strike as Blossom soared towards her.

She regained control, however, and spun around in midair, now moving feet-first. She struck Buttercup in the chest, knocking her away. Buttercup was only pushed back about a dozen feet before she stopped her fall. She glared at Blossom, who was now hovering there, with her arms folded defiantly.

"That's it," Buttercup said, frowning, "I'm gonna wipe that smile _right_ from your face!"

Blossom waved her arms, beckoning, "Bring it on."

Buttercup started flying back towards her, but not in a straight line…instead, she zigzagged, darting from side to side. So quick were here movements, that it momentarily looked like there were several Buttercups instead of one. This confused Blossom just long enough for her to swing a double-fisted punch down to the top of her head. She was knocked straight for the ground, but just before she hit, Buttercup flew down next to her and kicked her forward, towards one edge of the ring. Blossom bounced twice along the ground as she tumbled, but on the third bounce, she managed to bring her legs around, and instead pushed off the ground, leaping back in Buttercup's direction.

Surprised by the speed at which Blossom recovered from the hit, Buttercup had enough time to raise her fist up, so she could swat her away when she reached her. Blossom, however, attacked early, firing a quick eyebeam blast point-blank. Not expecting it, Buttercup was hit head-on and staggered from it. Blossom immediately took a deep breath and blew a blast of her ice breath…it passed over Buttercup, encasing her in a block of ice.

The crowd cheered at this move, and was certain that Blossom now had the upper hand. She moved in to attack the frozen Buttercup, winding up a punch. Buttercup, though, suddenly shot her own eyebeams out through the ice, striking Blossom in the chest and pushing her back a few dozen feet. She slid across the ground, dazed. Using this opportunity, Buttercup started melting the rest of the ice around her with her eyebeams, to free herself.

"What a comeback!" Agent Honeydew remarked, from the sideline. "I can't decide who's doing better…"

Monkey, next to her, said, "Eeek aah ooh….ooh eek ooh, ah ah eeek ah…"

"You really think so?" Honeydew said. "Well, we'll find out if you're right soon enough…"

By this time, Buttercup had finished melting the ice, and looked up. Blossom was nowhere to be seen; whille Buttercup was distracted, she had simply vanished. She glanced around quickly, trying to figure out where she had went, and a moment later spotted a hole in the ring surface near where she had blasted her before. Before she had time to react, though, Blossom suddenly burst up out of the ground behind her and grabbed her, holding her in a full-nelson. Buttercup struggled, and shouted, "Hey! Leggo!"

Blossom held tight, and started flying her over to the edge of the ring. Buttercup pulled one of her legs up and kicked backwards, striking Blossom in the knee. Now that she was distracted, Buttercup grabbed hold of Blossom's arms and pulled her over her head, trying to throw her. As she was flipped over, though, Blossom suddenly locked her legs around Buttercup's neck and rolled forward, flipping her over instead. She crashed to the ground close to the edge, but still within the ring's boundaries.

In the next instant, Buttercup recovered and shot back towards the center of the ring. Blossom flew after her at a similar speed…the two ran into each other at the center. They once again started trying to hit each other with a fast flurry of punches and kicks, but they kept dashing around to different points in the ring. All the audience could make of them were green and pink blurs of color, darting back and forth from spot to spot.

Living Bullet watched from the sidelines, likely the only one that could see their movements clearly. Capital-G, next to him, said, "Hey, Bullet…you followin' all this? Who's in the lead?"

"Itseemsthattheyareequal," he said, his head turning from side to side to keep an eye on the action. "Neitherofthemhaveevenlandedapunchyet…"

He spoke too soon, though, as barely a second later, the blurs stopped, and the girls suddenly became visible high above the center of the ring. Buttercup had connected with a kick to Blossom's gut, and she was doubled over from it. Buttercup hovered back, panting, but with a delighted smile on her face, while Blossom tried to straighten back up, coughing.

Buttercup laughed, almost in relief, "How'd ya like _that_? I got some more, if ya want it…" She charged, but Blossom straightened back up, gritting her teeth. She spun halfway around once in the air, kicking with both of her feet…both kicks struck Buttercup on the side of the head. Blossom finished the spin, with her back to Buttercup, and rammed her elbow behind her. The force from the last hit caused her to plummet to the ground like a stone, crashing into the ground. Blossom panted, flying down slowly to land on the opposite side of the ring, and swiveled to face her once more.

Buttercup picked herself up slowly, holding the side of her head. Her hair was messed up, and her outfit was now torn in a few spots from the last fall. Her eyes glowed red, and she fired her eyebeams at Blossom…she, in turn, fired her own eyebeams. They struck together near the center of the ring, but neither one of them stopped firing. They continued to pour on the energy, bracing themselves and gritting their teeth against the extreme exertion.

The crowd watched in awe as power built up at the point where their beams had collided. They continued to struggle against each other, trying to push the other back. Pieces of the ground around the beams began to rip up from the ground, blasting away, and a large crater was forming right underneath the giant buildup of energy in the center. Neither girl would give up, though, and the beams persisted.

They both began to sweat, not just from the intense heat of the beams, but also from the effort of keeping the beams sustained. The energy buildup started to move towards Buttercup's side, down the length of the beam. She screamed in rage, like a battle cry, and pushed even harder, forcing it towards Blossom. She likewise put more into it, bringing it to a balance once again.

The ground beneath the arena trembled from the fierce energy that was being unleashed. Many of the heroes started edging back from the ring. Up in the stands, Bubbles grabbed the professor's arm fearfully and said, "Wh—what are they doing?"

"This can't be good," the professor observed. "If they keep it up, at this rate, that energy buildup could…"

He was interrupted, when the giant buildup of energy from their eyebeams suddenly exploded, showering the entire arena in bright white light. Everyone shielded their eyes, and inside the ring, both of the girls were blown back away from it forcefully. The heroes on the sidelines even took cover behind their seats.

When the dust settled, there was a huge crater left in the center of the ring. Blossom and Buttercup were both barely conscious, lying right up on the outside edge, neither of them out, but still in the match. Blossom struggled back to her feet…both her outfit and her hair was tattered from the blast. Buttercup managed to stand up also, and she wasn't in any better condition than Buttercup was. They both looked beat, but still stood their ground.

The crowd was as silent as ever, now, waiting to see what would happen next. They both limped forward, towards each other. Buttercup reached the edge of the crater in the center, and her foot slipped…she fell in and slid down to the bottom, near the very center. Blossom tried to edge her way down, but also lost her footing and slid. Both of them picked themselves up once again, and faced each other.

"You're a mess, Bloss…" Buttercup remarked.

Blossom coughed once, and said, "Look who's talking."

Buttercup grinned, then winced in pain slightly. "Ready to finish this?" Blossom didn't say a word, but merely nodded. She managed to start flying and headed straight for Buttercup, who rose her arms defensively in front of herself. Blossom started swinging punches and kicks at her again, but the crowd could see that they were coming at a much slower pace than before. And yet, Buttercup was still using everything she had just to avoid them.

After a few moments of this, Buttercup flew back, soaring up and out of the crater, using most of her strength just to get airborne. She landed in part of the ring that was still intact, and stopped to catch her breath. Blossom flew up after her, but her flying was erratic, and she didn't fly a straight line out. She set down on the good part of the ring as well, and fell to her knees, panting heavily.

Buttercup closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then suddenly started running towards Blossom. This move took her by surprise, and she looked up at her, approaching swiftly. _Whatever she's doing_, she thought,_ it's got to be the last of her strength…I'd better do something…_ Still on her knees, Blossom hesitated, and that was all that Buttercup needed…she pulled her fist back, prepared to swing.

The next moment seemed to pass in slow motion. Buttercup swung her fist for Blossom's head, but at the last instant, Blossom fell over to the right, the punch narrowly missing her…at the same time, with her teeth clenched, she swept with one of her legs, tripping Buttercup from her advance. She fell forward, hitting the ground face-first, and slid for a few feet before finally coming to rest. Buttercup lifted her head from the ground for a moment, woozy…then collapsed back to the ground, unconscious.

Blossom relaxed, sighing in relief. The crowd remained silent only for another few moments, but then they applauded. As Blossom looked up, the applause turned to cheering, which grew louder, until the entire arena was in an absolute frenzy. Blossom half-smiled, as the Commander declared, "Ladies and gentlemen…the winner of the twenty-third annual World Superheroes Tournament, and new Grand Champion…Blossom!"

She got back to her feet, wavering a little from fatigue, and thrust both of her arms into the air. The crowd roared even louder, and started chanting her name over and over. Closing her eyes, she thought, _Grand Champion… I'd love to stand here, living the moment, but I have to do something else first…_

She limped over to where Buttercup was lying and rolled her onto her back to make sure she was okay. After a few seconds, Buttercup stirred, her eyes opening slowly. She saw Blossom leaning over her and said, "Uuuhhh…wha? Oh…Hey, Bloss…I guess you won, huh…"

"Hey," Blossom said, "You did great, too, Buttercup. I got lucky…it could just as easily have been you…"

Buttercup cracked a smile, and said, "Nah, don't feel bad about it…I'll just hafta beat you _next_ year, 'k?"

Blossom smiled back, and chuckled, "Okay!" She gave Buttercup a hug, then helped her back to her feet. By now, medical personnel were out on the ring, to help both of them back to the staging area. As they headed back, the heroes all congratulated Blossom on a job well done…

* * *

In the car on the way back home, the girls sat in the backseat. On the seat next to Blossom was the Grand Champion's trophy, a towering cup made of gold, with a small statue of the winning superhero on the top. Bubbles asked her, "So what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Blossom said. "I'm not going to let it go to my head, though…none of those commercial endorsements or TV appearances or anything…I'd rather just go back to the old superhero business, as always."

Buttercup folded her arms, "You don't know what you're passing up, there, Blossom. If _I_'d won, I'd have lived it up the most I could!"

"Instead of saving the day?" Bubbles asked.

"Well, I'd save the day _too_," she explained, "but there's nothing wrong with a little fame and money on the side…"

Blossom grinned, "_Any_way…I'll just be glad to be back home again."

"Yeah, me too," Buttercup agreed.

"Me three!" Bubbles added. She hesitated, then nudged the extra passenger next to her: Mojo Jojo, all tied up. He rolled his eyes, and sighed, "Me four." Bubbles smiled in appreciation and everyone in the car laughed, as it drove down the road leading back into Townsville…

**__**

THE END


End file.
